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New president Payne to alter Toronto culture

Kevin Payne says he is planning to change the complete culture at Toronto FC.

The former DC United president has taken over at BMO Field and has already implemented key changes with the appointment of Ryan Nelsen as head coach and some roster alterations in the offseason.

He told the Toronto Star that this is just the beginning of a new lease on life for the Canadian club.

"Obviously, you worry in any situation where a team has had six seasons of futility and really only one season in which the team was even close to the playoffs," he said.

"I would be naïve not to assume that there has been damage done to the attitude of everybody around the first team. We really need to change the way things are done on an everyday basis.

"I'm going to do some things a little differently here than I ever did them at DC United. We're going to actually have some symbolism and some slogans, if you will, on the wall, which I've never been a big believer in.

"We want to create a culture here where players think it's a privilege to put on the TFC shirt. And, the way to begin that process is by addressing every single day.

"We want the players to understand that it's a process of steps that gets you to the Promised Land. It's all about hard work and consistency of approach and selflessness, accountability, understanding and diligence."